


One last talk

by PurpleCBean



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 17:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20979542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleCBean/pseuds/PurpleCBean
Summary: One of the last moments in the life of Rose Quartz.





	One last talk

Rose kept admiring the sun slowly moving in the horizon, accompanied by the delicate sound of the sea.  
Ever since her decision of having a baby, new concepts, completely alien to her and anyone else like her, were making their way in her mind.  
The overbearing joy of carrying a life. The uncertainty of what will happen after that final moment.  
Even single seconds were becoming more and more meaningful, now that her remaining time wasn’t measured in centuries anymore.  
Nevertheless, she was happy, she contemplated as she closed her eyes and breathed the salty air, as the warm glow of the sun embraced her all.  


“Hey, Rose”.  


The contemplating gem opened her eyes as a familiar voice, ever so gentle, called her.  
On her left, Pearl joined her, watching the blue sky starting to paint itself with warmer colors.  
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said absentmindedly.  
She smiled a bit.  
“Yes, it is.” she replied, as a bit of melancholy came to her “It is just like they said, you never appreciate something until you lose it.”  
Pearl gaze never left the horizon, the face tired, but smiling nonetheless.  
“Care for a walk?” She proposed. Rose gladly accepted.  
The two of them hadn’t spoke in a long time, and most of the recent “talks “ devolved into nothing more than shouting, crying and what-not, but this time it felt different, the two of them walking on the endless beach, the wind caressing both their bodies as they waited for the other to speak.  
It felt final. This was going to be the last time they would’ve had a chance to talk.  
“You are not going to tell them?” the Pearl broke the silence, in her tone transpired that she knew the answer.  
“No.” Rose sighed “At this point, that would just hurt them. And “them”.” Her eyes rested on her belly for a moment, before searching the other gem’s glance. She didn’t offer hers, gaze pointed somewhere in that endless line of sand.  
“I just want them to have an happy, fulfilling life, without being shackled to my legacy.” She continued.  
The Pearl kept walking , arms crossed behind her back, measuring every step she was taking, letting the silence creep in the conversation. There was so little to say at this point.  


“I wonder” She finally said, “Why now?”  


Rose halted, puzzled by the elegant gem’s sudden question.  
The leader of the crystal gems watched her companion move ahead, her slim figure coloring more and more red just like the sky and the clouds. No answer was given, and neither was needed.  
“All the time you spent loving human life, watching it change, evolve, grow, you never considered this act” The Pearl explained, glancing back at the former Diamond, still stuck in place, waiting for the other to once again unfold her subconscious in front of her.  
Pearl continued with her reasoning “You says that gems are incapable of change, as humans do, but you know this is not true” her eye shining, reflecting the rays of the approach sunset.  
“You saw it happen, you saw gems stepping out of their programming, thinking by themselves, choosing their path, building their new life. Even learned how to love.”  
At the sound of the last word, Rose flinched. Even she was surprised how such a beautiful word would cause her so much pain.  
The pearl noticed it. She nodded at the other, inviting her to resume their walking, and maybe their conversation.  
Rose moved, her legs heavy and her mind numbed by the thoughts rushing inside. She knew where all of this was going, and she couldn’t stop it.  
Time passed, the stars were already peeking through the red sky, the sun embracing its reflection on the calm sea.  


The two gems decided to rest on some rocks, the first feature they met since the beginning of their little talk. Pearl sitting on a small one, legs curled and her chin resting on her knees. Rose leaned onto one of the larger one.  
“This Greg really did a number on you.” Pearl resumed, a small chuckle escaped her lips.  
“You thought he was going to be like all the others, loving Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems, the one who challenged the Diamonds, the one who should be loved.” The tone of the pearl never changed, it remained sweet and sad at the same time. Rose tried again to met her gaze, trying somehow to stop her to go any further. But she wasn’t looking at her, lost in the beauty of the red horizon.  
“But he made the worst mistake he could ever made.” Rose drop her head, her glance inevitably landed on her belly.  
“He started to love you. The real you.” Pearl ultimately said.  
Rose abandoned the rock as she took some step forward in the orange tinted sand, tears starting to mount in her eyes as the weight of those words was becoming unbearable.  


“I don’t deserve it” Finally, Pink spoke, trying her best to suppress the cracks in her voice.  
“Someone like me shouldn’t be loved. A coward, a selfish traitor, a good for nothing who only caused suffering every time she tried to change things for the better.”  
“And so you decided to give away your life for someone more deserving of that love.” From behind her shoulders, the other gem chime in.  
“They will be better than me.” the diamond assured “They will grow up, having good and bad experiences, becoming something new with each passing moment. I’m so, SO happy for them.”  
Her voiced was filled with passion as all the time she described the marvel of life and humanity.  


“And you can’t?”  


“**NO!**” Pink snapped, tears finally breaking free. “ I can’t change! I don’t deserve to change!” All the pain was coming to her at once.  
“I cannot be saved. I’ve hurt too many gems. And worst of all, I was too scared to try and fix my mistakes. I am just another Diamond. A tyrant who destroyed the life of millions.”  
Distorted figures flashed before her eyes. The corruption light, who claimed her fellow all but few of the gems so foolish to follow her lead, Bismuth, who she poofed and bubbled in order to prevent more slaughter, still inside the lion’s mane, she too scared to free her, and face the fact that maybe the blacksmith was in the right, Spinel, lost forever in the Garden, waiting for someone who will be forever gone in just a few days. Too many lives destroyed because of her.  
“I just hurt everyone around me, even the one I love the most.” She said, turning around to face her fellow gem.  


The Pearl had stood up from the rocks and moved towards the former Diamond, so delicately she didn’t even left traces on the reddish sand. Rose and her locked eyes, and the bigger gem felt knot on her throat.  
The scar ran on her non existing left eye, still sizzling and crackling like a thunder in the storm, the pink color all around it became paler and paler, until it was just a shade of gray, she really looked like she could just fall into pieces at any moment, but she still smiled for her Diamond, and that felt so wrong to her.  
Rose slowly reached it her hand, as if to avoid aggravating the damage she already inflicted on her,  
the Pearl leaned her head into the proposed hand, letting her lovingly stroking her cheek.  
“I’m sorry. I went too far.” Rose said softly, the Pearl smiled at her.  
“And you kept going. You did some good, don’t forget it.”  


The sky was covered in pink clouds now, the sun disappeared, and so did the sea and the sand.  
“Can I..?” Started to ask the pearl, I pointing at Rose’s belly. The other answered with a smile.  
Pink rested her hands onto it, the delicate, loving touch reminded Rose of her Pearl, but there was no sorrow this time, nor the fear of losing someone you love. Rose posed her hand onto hers  
“They are going to be something special.” Pearl said, her frame started to dissolve in a pink mist.  
Rose watched the smiling gem slowly disappearing, the one lie she hold on to for all this years, the one who never truly left her, for better and worse.  
The room was now empty, except for her. Pink clouds as far as the eye could see.  


“Yeah, Something extraordinary.”

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to imagine the emotions of Rose when the end was approaching.  
Also, wanted to see for how much the illusion could hold up.  
Thanks for reading.


End file.
